The Rover (play)  

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The Rover or The Banish'd Cavaliers is a play in two parts written by the English author Aphra Behn. It was a very popular Restoration comedy.

Behn had famously worked as a spy for Charles II against the Dutch. However, Charles was slow to pay her for her services and slow to meet his promises, if he ever paid her at all, and Behn sought to make money first with her poetry, and then with plays and novels. The Rover appeared on the stage in 1677, and it was popular enough that a second part appeared in 1681. The play appeared for a long run, enabling Behn to make a fair income from it (the author received the proceeds from the box office every third night the play ran).

Character list

MEN

  • Don Antonio, the Vice-Roy’s Son,
  • Don Pedro, a Noble Spaniard, his Friend,
  • Belvile, an English Colonel in love with Florinda,
  • Willmore, the ROVER,
  • Frederick, an English Gentleman, and Friend to Belvile and Blunt,
  • Blunt, an English Country Gentleman,
  • Stephano, Servant to Don Pedro,
  • Philippo, Lucetta’s Gallant,
  • Sancho, Pimp to Lucetta,
  • Bisky and Sebastian, two Bravoes to Angelica.
  • Diego, Page to Don Antonio.
  • Page to Hellena.
  • Boy, Page to Belvile.
  • Officers and Soldiers.

WOMEN.

  • Florinda, Sister to Don Pedro,and Hellena
  • Hellena, a gay young Woman design’d for a Nun, and Sister to Florinda,
  • Valeria, a Kinswoman to Florinda,
  • Angellica Bianca, a famous Courtesan,
  • Moretta, her Woman,
  • Callis, Governess to Florinda and Hellena,
  • Lucetta, a jilting Wench,
  • Servants, other Masqueraders, Off Stage Voices.

Anne Marshall played Angellica Bianca in the original 1677 production; Elizabeth Barry was Helena.



Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "The Rover (play)" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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